


Caochan

by ashstoadstooltales



Category: Like Real People Do - Hozier (Song), Original Work
Genre: Anger Management, Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fae & Fairies, Faeries - Freeform, Fantasy, Fluff and Angst, Folklore, Forbidden Love, Friends to Lovers, I've known you before, Legends, Longing, Mystery, Mysticism, Original Universe, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Slow Burn, Soulmates, but maybe, but we can't be together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 15:33:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29474028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashstoadstooltales/pseuds/ashstoadstooltales
Summary: A young man happens upon a mysterious woman one evening in a foreboding place known as the Bog. Intrigued by this lone woman and desperate to leave behind a simple life, he tries to form a connection with her.A forbidden and unassuming story of connection, longing, time, and the obscure. A little story that came to me and demanded to be written immediately. Go listen to "Like Real People Do" for the vibe. Excited to see where it goes, these characters are begging to have an audience. Each will have their own time to narrate the story as it progresses.
Kudos: 2





	Caochan

**Author's Note:**

> First part of this short story. Feedback appreciated <3

The mist rose in feather-like wisps, reaching to the sky in long tendrils from the spongy ground. Dusk spread over the bog quickly, the fading light making the landscape eerie. It appeared deserted, not a soul to be seen for miles, no warm breath disturbing the thick haze. Deserted, but for one man. He was young, just barely out of boyhood but old enough to wander far from his village with a mind of his own. His lantern maintained a faint orange glow as he stepped across the decaying branches and leaves.

He had been walking since daybreak, and was beginning to regret his actions from earlier that morning as a wrong step soaked his leather shoes. The man began mumbling to himself, upset at his rashness, but even more angry at his parents.

"But you must marry soon, now that you are 22, Reed," his mother announced that morning.

"Time to be the next man of the house!" His father exclaimed spiritedly.

But Reed did not want to hear it. The ensuing argument resulted in him packing measly belongings into a sack and hightailing it to the place he knew no one would follow: the Bog.

The Bog was avoided by all. The mysterious frightened all the villages around these lands; though, legend told, ancient peoples once channeled the spirits that floated through the marshy grasslands and experienced true, raw magic. Now, the mere thought of unnatural things terrified most. That was hardly enough to deter a headstrong, desperate Reed.  
He wanted nothing more than to leave his hometown and travel to the city, a three weeks journey to the neighboring island, where he could learn and create and discover things such as science (which, rumor had it, was the new magic). Instead, he was constricted to a simple life of marriage, children, and men's mundane labor. Reed wanted out, and he was determined to find an escape.

True darkness enveloped him as night fell. Only now did Reed begin to feel uneasy. Legend or no, the Bog held untold dangers of the mystic.

"Alright..." he spun in a slow circle, looking for his path. The mushy ground sprang back immediately after his steps, erasing any trace of a track.

"There has to be a way out of here somehow", Reed said aloud, half to organize his thoughts and half to break the deafening silence. He would rather return home to a mess there then to stay out at the Bog all night.

Keeping to the outskirts of the marshy forest that bordered the Bog, Reed began to attempt to retrace his steps.

There was a loud cracking sound, and his face immediately connected with the peat. His lamp lay shattered and dark next to him as Reed strangled his foot out of an unseen branch.

Touching his cheek, he winced with pain as he realized a bit of glass had sliced him. His face plastered in dirt and blood, he sat up. The inky darkness seemed magnified by the mist. He could hardly discern the edge of the Bog with the forest. Shakily getting to his feet and willing his heart to calm, Reed began to walk forward again.

Strangely, he felt as though something was getting brighter in the distance, a little blot of light interrupting the night. Every time he got close enough to where he thought the light ought to be, nothing was there. No villages were nearby, that was for certain, and he was the only being foolish enough to be at the Bog past dusk. For some reason, the thought of him imagining light sources did not frighten him, though; rather, he was enraptured. Another popped up a little to the left, leading towards the heart of the Bog. It had a pulsating, green-blue hue that seemed to oscillate like water in the air. He bounded towards it, determined to reach it.

"Aha!" Reed exclaimed, at last reaching the spot where the orb was. He caught it for a moment before it evaporated in his hands. Immediately another emerged, this time even farther into the Bog. As he began to walk towards it, a strange sound emitted from behind him, nearly peculiar enough to break him out of this reverie. He turned towards it, that faint whisper, a rustle, scanning the land around him. Nothing. Not even one bit of movement. Of course. Just his imagination. He turned towards the orb again, bobbing nearby. Preparing to creep up on it slowly, Reed approached cautiously. It was so close now. He knew he had it cornered, but as he readied to pounce, something pounced on him.

He released a shout of fright, as did the thing...no person. A person was here with him, tackling him to the ground.

"Get off me!" Reed shouted, rolling away and now fully soaked by the sodden ground. He felt as though a trance had been broken, and with a start noticed how far he had strayed into the Bog.

Looking around, he spotted her. Crouching a few feet away was a young woman. Her light brown hair was entwined with strands that appeared emerald, her skin an olive tan. Her face held an ethereal beauty despite the worn clothes on her body. Reed wasn't sure what surprised him more, the fact that she had tackled him, the fact that he wasn't actually alone in the middle of nowhere, or the fact that a beautiful young woman was alone at the Bog.

"Who are you?" he asked, taking a step towards her.

She rose to full height and stepped away, looking at Reed up and down.

"You must leave immediately," she stated, and turned to walk back into the Bog.

"Wait," Reed exclaimed, and walked after her, "why do I have to leave?"

Suddenly he felt very annoyed and obstinate, forgetting his earlier sentiments to return home. Why must he leave, but this girl could be out here all by herself?

The girl turned abruptly and cast a scathing stare upon Reed.

"Stop following me. These lands are dangerous for one like you. You must not linger a minute longer. Worse things than silly orbs will capture your human soul, boy." She spoke with the confidence of a wise old woman, though she could hardly be over twenty.

"What do you mean?" Reed questioned, his brow furrowing. He knew the legends. Everyone did. But they were just legends. The girl pointed towards the forest, the direction home, and he glanced towards it for an instant. When he looked back, she had vanished.


End file.
